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Fast Facts

Introduction

The Moses' Snapper has a grey body often with a reddish tinge. There is a diffuse black spot (sometimes faint) mostly above the lateral line below the soft part of the dorsal fin. Juvenile Moses' Snapper look similar to adults, but have four to five brown stripes on the body, and an ocellus on the back.

Identification

The Moses' Snapper has a grey body often with a reddish tinge. There is a diffuse black spot (sometimes faint) mostly above the lateral line below the soft part of the dorsal fin.

Juvenile Moses' Snapper look similar to adults, but have four to five brown stripes on the body, and an ocellus on the back.

Habitat

Adult Moses' Snapper inhabit inshore reefs and rocky areas. They occasionally enter estuaries. Juvenile Moses' Snapper are often seen in the lower reaches of freshwater streams and mangrove estuaries. It is found at depths from 3 m to 80 m.

Distribution

The species occurs in tropical marine waters of the Indo-West Pacific, from the Red Sea and East Africa, north to Japan, south to Australia and east to Fiji.

In Australia it is known from the north-western coast of Western Australia, around the tropical north of the country, and south to southern New South Wales.

The map below shows the Australian distribution of the species based on public sightings and specimens in Australian Museums. Source: Atlas of Living Australia

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